Headphones have been around since the 1920s and the basic design has not changed very much since then. What has changed is the way we use headphones, and the different uses are reflected in the slight difference in the modern headphone. Possibly one of the most significant variations is the introduction of the ear buds that were introduced alongside the iPod in 2001. At Musicians Friend we have separated our headphones into a number of convenient categories. Studio headphones, as the name implies are designed to be used in the recording studio and usually offer a less colored sound that offers the listener a more accurate representation of what is being recorded. They are often padded so that they can be worn for long periods of time. DJs have to concentrate on both the current track being played and the track being queued up, so DJ Headphones need to be loud so that the DJ can hear the song being queued up above the club noise. They also tend to have swivel ear cups for comfortable one-ear monitoring. Noise Canceling Headphones exclude external sounds so that the wearer can concentrate on what he or she is monitoring, without having to listen at hearing-damaging volumes. They are especially good for drummers who want to hear the rest of the band without having to crank the headphones so high that they distort. Consumer headphones are often designed to look good as well as sound great. The increasing popularity of the MP3 format meant that music fans could carry their entire library around in a palm-sized MP3 player and headphone manufacturers have modified their designs to reflect this. Ever since the rapper Dr. Dre founded Beats Electronics his "Beats by Dre" headphones have been particularly popular. As with everything we sell, all our headphones are supported by our price & satisfaction guarantees and free standard shipping applies to all orders except heavy items.